U.S. patent application number 17/607039 was filed with the patent office on 2022-06-30 for method for tracking product history.
The applicant listed for this patent is Hui Lin. Invention is credited to Hui Lin.
Application Number | 20220207468 17/607039 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006256979 |
Filed Date | 2022-06-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220207468 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lin; Hui |
June 30, 2022 |
METHOD FOR TRACKING PRODUCT HISTORY
Abstract
A method for tracking product history combines application
identifiers (AI) created in a format agreed upon by different
manufacturers and employs block chain technology for linking
information in series. The invention enables a history network of a
specific product to be developed in vertical and horizontal
directions, and allows consumers to submit queries online, such
that information associated with the product and generated in
processes such as manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, is
queryable and tamper-proof. With the expansion of the network,
additional paths of the product, such as reprocessing and
processing paths, can be further tracked, thereby ensuring the
reliability of product quality.
Inventors: |
Lin; Hui; (Taipei City,
Taiwan, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lin; Hui |
Taipei City, Taiwan |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000006256979 |
Appl. No.: |
17/607039 |
Filed: |
May 7, 2019 |
PCT Filed: |
May 7, 2019 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2019/085880 |
371 Date: |
October 28, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/087
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/08 20060101
G06Q010/08 |
Claims
1. A method for tracking product history, comprising the steps of:
(1) consolidating at least two consecutive production and marketing
units namely a first production and marketing unit and a second
production and marketing unit associated with a specific product;
(2) the first production and marketing unit assigns the specific
product an application identifier (AI) in an initial stage of a
manufacturing process, respectively provides reading apparatuses at
the initial and final stages of the manufacturing process, reads
the application identifier (AI) and uploads same to a database
storage space; the second production and marketing unit provides a
reading apparatus at the initial stage, reads the application
identifier (AI) and uploads same to the database storage space;
data uploaded to a first section by the first production and
marketing unit and data uploaded to a second section by the second
production and marketing unit are linked in series by means of a
block chain to form a continuous transaction record and since each
section contains an encrypted hash value, a corresponding timestamp
and transaction data of the previous section, the content of the
two sections are tamper-resistant.
2. The method for tracking product history as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the block chain is formed as a public block chain platform
by using Ethereum, so as to provide a decentralized virtual machine
for processing equal contracts by using cryptocurrency ether.
3. The method for tracking product history as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the data storage space is connected to a web server and for
the external to scan the application identifier to link to the
network for checking and inspecting.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is related to a business method, in
particular to a method for tracking product history.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In current business society, many merchandises are
manufactured and systems for sale of these merchandise are
complicated and huge. The divisions of works and cooperation of
labors are so complex so that it cannot assure that qualities of
final products which sell to the consumers are steady, safe and
reliable. Because it is often that the products are not
manufactured completely, even some similar products are mixed with
real ones. Events, such as changes of labels or barcodes,
frequently occur (these events are not confined to foods since
foods are directly relative to health of human and life, in this
specification, foods are used as examples for descriptions of the
invention). One example is to use oil fishes to camouflage as
Patagonian toothfishes. These actions will affect business
reliability and safety, even affecting health of consumers.
[0003] Although current historical data of the products about
production processes and sale processes are adapted for showing the
processes in manufacturing and sale so as to acquire reliability of
consumers, while currently, the historical data of the products are
not unified and thus many different specifications are adapted and
moreover, they are limited by areas. Furthermore, many
authentication mechanisms are concentrated on the processes of
manufacturing, managements of the plants, packaging of the
products, etc., while information on the upstream supplies are not
sufficient. Besides, for importers, based on the managements of
resources and market mechanism, pollution of foods is a very
important problem, for example, if pollution of Salmonella occurs,
it is very difficult to find out which batches of the foods are
initial polluted ones. In the past, all batches of the foods are
recalled. However, in this process, many foods are wasted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Due to the problem resulting from the prior arts, the
present invention provides a more rigorous product history which
contains vertical and horizontal production and sale systems, in
that a stage is as a resource of a next stage. A manufacturing and
sale process includes the stages of manufacturing (such as
farming), processing after harvesting, reworking, manufacturing,
logistics, transportation, sale, and other processes. Each stage
may be viewed as a resource of the following stage. The requirement
of tracking and retrospective of the stages of the processes is
established to be matched to the law. Therefore, the management of
food hygiene can be done easily.
[0005] To achieve above object, the present invention provides a
method for tracking product history, comprising the steps of:
consolidate at least two consecutive production and marketing units
namely a first production and marketing unit and a second
production and marketing unit associated with a specific product;
the first production and marketing unit assigns the specific
product an application identifier (AI) in an initial stage of a
manufacturing process, respectively provides reading apparatuses at
the initial and final stages of the manufacturing process, reads
the application identifier (AI) and uploads same to a database
storage space; the second production and marketing unit provides a
reading apparatus at the initial stage, reads the application
identifier (AI) and uploads same to the database storage space;
data uploaded to a first section by the first production and
marketing unit and data uploaded to a second section by the second
production and marketing unit are linked in series by means of a
block chain to form a continuous transaction record and since each
section contains an encrypted hash value, a corresponding timestamp
and transaction data of the previous section, the content of the
two sections are tamper-resistant.
[0006] In practice, the application identifier (AI) is published by
the barcode publishing and management center. Other than the
identifications of product items, also including batches of the
products, manufacturing dates and others. It can present the
historical data of the products and thus by using de-centralized
block chain technology, the historical data about the product
transaction records are more unified.
[0007] Application identifiers are widely used in Information Flow
and Logistics Flow and gradually extend to Money Flow and Business
Flow management. Identification systems in the past are commonly
used in B2B (business to business) electronic application.
Recently, due to the development of intellectual networks, barcodes
are used in B2C (business to consumer) electronic application.
Other than consumer goods, health care, transportation and
logistics, the application identifiers also extend to many other
industries.
[0008] The application identifier can be identified as GSI IS
keys,
[0009] GTIN: identification of transaction item
[0010] SSCC: identification of logistics unit
[0011] GLN: identification of position
[0012] GRAI: identification of returnable assets
[0013] GIAI: identification of general assets
[0014] Furthermore, it also extends to documents, contracts,
transportation of goods, supplementary identification data, etc.
Furthermore the application identifier can also define: batch
number, expiration date, unit of weights and measures, etc.
including several hundred different kinds of data. People in the
material supply chain, such as material suppliers, product
manufacturers, retailers, warehousing, logistics, distribution,
etc., can file for the use of application identifiers.
[0015] According to the recording of Wikipedia, by using
encryption, the block chain is a serial transaction records for
protecting contents. Each block includes hashing encryptions,
respective time stamps, and transaction records of a former block.
As a result, the contents of the blocks are very difficult to be
modified. The distributed accounts generated by block chains have
the property of effective recording and the transaction records can
be checked permanently. The best advantage of the block chain is
that it can be developed and provided by common platform. The
enterprises (including competitors) of various industries must
agree on a common standard and run a system so as to enjoy the
maximum advantage of block chain. Besides, the application
identifier for the historical data of products is widely used in
current product logistics. Therefore, no other further barcode is
used for the manufactures, while in the prior art, they need to set
a specific barcode for matching the historical data of the
products.
[0016] By uploading the current used application identifier, the
historical data of a product can be checked. For the application
identifier, one initiator can convene many people as a group. These
people need obey a common barcode rule so that the manufacturers
can upload the historical data of products.
[0017] In the present invention, by combining a common setting
application identifier, and by using block chain technology, a
historical data network of a specific product is developed in
vertical and horizontal directions. The application identifier is
further provided to a consumer group for searching of data so as to
assure the checkable and non-modifiable of historical data in the
processes of manufacturing, warehousing, dispatching, and other
processes. With expansion of the network, the paths of reproduction
and reworking of the products are able to be further tracked for
assuring reliability of the quality of the products.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the system of the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is another schematic view showing the system of the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a further schematic view showing the system of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a yet schematic view showing the system of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] In order that those skilled in the art can further
understand the present invention, a description will be provided in
the following in details. However, these descriptions and the
appended drawings are only used to cause those skilled in the art
to understand the objects, features, and characteristics of the
present invention, but not to be used to confine the scope and
spirit of the present invention defined in the appended claims.
[0024] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a retrace method for
historical data of products, comprising the following steps of:
[0025] 1 Combining a plurality of continuous production and
marketing units, such as a first production and marketing unit 1, a
second production and marketing unit 2 and a third production and
marketing unit 3, etc.
[0026] 2. In an initial producing stage, the first production and
marketing unit 1 for a specific product being loaded with an
application identifier 11 (AI) in the initial stage of the
producing process. Furthermore, at the initial producing stage and
a final producing stage, the first production and marketing unit 1
is installed with respective reading device 12. The initial
producing stage and the final producing stage may be different for
different products. In the drawing, it is shown that the producing
stage includes incoming inspection (initial stage), warehousing,
issuing manufacturing order, picking, manufacturing, finished goods
inspection, warehousing of finished goods, shipment (final stage).
If it is necessary, each producing stage can be equipped with
respective reading device 12. The reading device 12 reads the
application identifier 1 land uploads the application identifier 11
to a data storage space 4.
[0027] The second production and marketing unit 2 is installed with
a reading device 22 at an initial stage and reads an application
identifier 21. The reading device 22 reads the application
identifier 21 (AI) and uploads it to the data storage space 4. The
uploading data of a first stage of the first production and
marketing unit 1 and the uploading data of a second stage of a
second production and marketing unit 2 are connected by a block
chain so as to have continuous transaction records. Data of each
stage includes the encryption hashing, respective time stamps and
transaction data of former stages. Therefore, contents of the two
stages are difficult to be amended. This processes are suitable for
those of third production and marketing unit 3, the forth
production and marketing unit, and other production and marketing
units.
[0028] In the present invention, block chains and the application
identifiers 11, 21, 31 are combined, and by serially connecting the
information of the first production and marketing unit 1 and the
second production and marketing unit 2 and by protecting contents
of the transaction records (that is, data for all sections). Data
of each section includes the encryption hashing, respective time
stamps and transaction data of former stages. Therefore, contents
of all the sections are avoided to be modified.
[0029] The best advantages of block chain are that: they can be
developed and provided through common industrial platforms, however
specific enterprises (including competitors) of different
industries must agree on identical standards and jointly operate
this platform for generating a common platform to cause the block
chain has a maximum advantage. Besides, in the present invention,
the uploading product historical data adapts application
identifiers as uploading data. However, the application identifiers
are widely used in current logistics. Therefore, no barcode
matching to a specification is undesired for the request of the
product history. By uploading the application identifiers, the
product history can be searched. An initiator can joint plural
persons as a group for using the application identifiers and a same
barcode specification is adapted by this group. Thereby, the
product history can be uploaded.
[0030] Therefore, the application identifier with specification
which is commonly created is combined with block chain to develop
specific product history in vertical and horizontal directions.
These product histories are provided to be searched in networks by
consumers for assuring that searching can be performed during
processes of manufacturing, warehousing and distributions and sales
without being modified. The data cannot be changed. With the
expansion of network, paths about reproduction and reworking of the
products can be tracked for assuring the reliability of the quality
of the product.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 3, other than the first production and
marketing unit 1, the second production and marketing unit 2 and
the third production and marketing unit 3, even more other
production and marketing units which can be linked to the data
storage space 4, these production and marketing units even can be
linked to another data storage space 4A which are linked by another
first production and marketing unit 1A, another second production
and marketing unit 2A and another third production and marketing
unit 3A so as to form a network of block chain.
[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the block chain can be formed as
a public block chain platform by using the commonly used Ethereum
so as to provide decentralized virtual machine for processing
reciprocal contracts by using cryptocurrency ether.
[0033] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the preferred embodiment of
the present invention is illustrated. The data storage space 4 is
connected to a web server 5, while external consumers or inspection
authority can scan the application identifiers 11, 12 and 31 to
link to the network for checking and inspecting.
[0034] With reference to FIG. 5, in the present invention the first
production and marketing unit 1, the second production and
marketing unit 2 and the third production and marketing unit 3 may
be a single producing unit in each stage. As a result, the uploaded
data in incoming inspection and warehousing are linked in series by
means of a block chain to form a continuous transaction record and
since each section contains an encrypted hash value, a
corresponding timestamp and transaction data of the previous
section, the content of the two sections are tamper-resistant.
[0035] The present invention is thus described, it will be obvious
that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not
to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the
present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious
to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the
scope of the following claims.
* * * * *